


Long Night's Journey Into Day

by TeapotFiction



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff, Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-20
Updated: 2017-04-20
Packaged: 2018-10-21 11:06:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10684020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeapotFiction/pseuds/TeapotFiction
Summary: Fluffy bughead. It's based around Episode Ten: The Lost Weekend. Just filling in the gaps - like how did Betty and Jughead get to Pop's and where did Jughead sleep?Bit of angst and general feeling spouting.let me know if you like it :)





	Long Night's Journey Into Day

Jughead was troubled as he walked to Pop’s. 

Yet another birthday to chalk onto the list of disappointments. But this time he had no one to blame but himself. Any normal teenager would have been delighted that his girlfriend had not only braved American Werewolf, but also surprised him with all of his friends. She’d even made him a cake. Anyone else would have been grateful. Happy. Excited. All of those warm fuzzy feelings that you hear about so often in teen fiction. 

But not Jughead. He’d ruined it. And then, he supposed, Archie’s quest to be the most popular footballer-come-songwriter had only acerbated everything. The whole class showing up was pretty high on his list of worst nightmares. But that wasn’t Betty’s fault. That was never what she had in mind. 

He kicked a stone as he wondered how on earth he could possibly make it up to the pretty blonde walking next to him. 

Good, sweet, kind Betty. Betty who’d only wanted to make him happy. Betty, who actually seemed to want him. Him. The loner. Betty, who’d been so excited when she brought his cake to him. Followed by disappointed Betty. Troubled Betty. Hurt Betty. Betty who’d looked at him with such sadness in her eyes when he accused her of still having feelings for Archie. Betty, who was too good to hurl insults back at him. Instead she just walked away, taking every blow he delivered. 

He’d have preferred it if she’d said something back to him. If she’d shown herself to be as flawed as him. He’d have felt a lot less unreasonable. A lot less stupid. A lot less … cruel. 

Because how could he hurt Betty? Didn’t she have enough on her plate? And despite everything that was going on – her father leaving, her sister living with the Blossoms, her mother full stop – she’d found the time to make his birthday a special event. Or at least try to. 

Why couldn’t he just be normal? 

He could kick himself, but instead he kicked at a rock, scuffing his shoe in the process. 

‘Juggie?’ 

He sighed and reached out for her hand. She slipped hers into his and her smile lit up her face. 

‘It’s going to be okay, you know.’ 

He really wanted to brood some more on all his failings. But that’s what brought them there in the first place. That’s what caused him to ruin this evening. That’s why he needed his father – FP of all people – to tell him not to give up on her. That she needed him. He wants to berate himself for not noticing her subtle nuances, the pain and the strength she was showing in equal measure. 

But right now, he needs to be there for Betty. He needs to explain himself. He needs to stop being quite so Holden Caulfield and a little more Mr Darcy. 

At that thought he pulled a face involuntarily. Perhaps not. Betty catches sight of this and gives him one of her wide eyed, lopsided looks. 

‘Nothing, don’t worry. Come on, let’s go inside.’ 

Gently guiding her with his hand on the small of her back, they head towards a booth at Pop’s. Their normal one is occupied, and it seems fitting that on this long, exhausting, bizarre evening that even their seating plan is at odds with what they’re used to.

They sit next to each other. Opposite seems too formal, and besides, that way they’d have to look each other in the eye. Neither of them are quite ready for that. Yet. 

As they sit down, Jughead pulls his beanie off his head and Betty tries to hide the surprise from her face. She knows how big a deal this is for him, but she’s worried that if she reacts too much he’ll close up again and push her away. She can’t have that again. He orders two milkshakes from the waitress as she passes. Betty tries to look nonchalant. They sit in silence, both waiting for the other to start the conversation. Jughead puts his arm around Betty, trying to reclaim their easy relationship once more, and she’s grateful for it. 

Then the waitress returns with their milkshakes and Jughead learns forward to take a big slurp.

‘Hey, I need my strength. I’ve been in a fight you know. Defending your honour, I might add.’

It has the right effect. The tension is diffused. It’s going to be fine, so she grins at him.

‘And all this time, I thought you were a lover not a fighter.’

‘I’m both. I’ve got layers.’ He steels himself before continuing. He needs to make sure he gets this bit right. He needs to make her understand – his behaviour tonight wasn’t a rejection of her. It was all him.

He’s never told anyone any of this before. But this is Betty. His Betty. He needs to.

‘You were doing something nice. It’s just that sometimes when people do nice things for me, I short circuit’. Well it’s as good an analogy as anything. ‘Maybe I’m not used to it.’ That was putting it mildly. ‘Maybe I’m scared of getting hurt, being rejected, for being myself.’

She’s watching him carefully and her heart is breaking for him. Of course she knew he’d not had the easiest ride through life so far, but he’d always seemed to shrug it off. To find a way of coping. She’s always assumed that he had adopted his outsider look out of choice, to make himself look cool. Now she’s seeing all of that from another perspective.  
His honesty gives her the strength to reveal her secrets.

‘I should have told you about Chuck. But I lied. And instead throw you this party that you didn’t even want.’

‘Why did you?’

She’s hurt him, she knows that. Does he still think that Archie is her confidante, rather than him? Surely not. Still – Betty knows she needs to reveal herself to him, because he’s her Jughead, and he’s the one person she can trust not to judge her. Close to tears, she starts again. 

‘Something is very, very wrong with me. There’s this darkness in me that’s overwhelming sometimes. I don’t know where it comes from. I think that’s what makes me do these crazy things.’

Betty pauses for a moment and looks Jughead in the eye. She unclenches her hands to show him the scars on her palms. The marks of the pain she’s inflicted on herself, because how else could she cope with all the darkness? How else would she be able to control it?

Betty doesn’t have time to be scared about how he’ll react because Jughead scoops up her hands in his, closing her fingers over the wounds. He brings them to his lips, kissing them gently and tenderly.

She leans over and kisses him properly, for the first time in what seems like days. How could he have even contemplated giving this up? His dad was right, she needed him – just as much as he needed her. He resolves never, ever to give up on this, or his happiness ever again. He’s got something worth fighting for at long last. And someone who won’t let him down. 

The two teenagers sat together in their safe place, that booth in Pop’s. Everything is on the table. Secrets are out, appearances and illusions broken down. They’re not pretending to be anything other than two broken pieces making one whole. Together they are complete. 

Betty rested her head on Jughead’s shoulder. The weight of both their confessions was lying heavy in the air. Yet somehow, despite it all, they knew it would all be fine. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but one day – and hopefully not in the too distant future – they would find their peace. And slowly, slowly they would both start to heal. 

They didn’t speak for a long time. What could they possibly say? Chit chat was far too trivial, and Jason’s murder was far too heavy. 

Eventually the diner emptied out and they were forced to start making moves to go. Reluctant they left the safety of their booth. Though they are both exhausted and emotionally weary, neither wants to go home. And neither wants to say it out loud, but they don’t want to be apart from each other. Betty had once said that when she thought of where she felt safest it was in a booth in Pop’s with Archie, but now she could be anywhere, so long as she was with Jughead. Perhaps it had been Jughead all along – after all, nearly every time she’d been in that booth with Archie he’d been there too. But even though it might have taken them a little while to figure it out, at least they were here at last.

They walked out of Pop’s, and without speaking Judghead nudged her off the route she was taking, towards home. Instead they found their way to the edge of the wood, in a little clearing that seemed designed for lovers to whisper sweet nothings to each other until the morning came. Though Jughead would have hated anyone to think he was romantic, he couldn’t help but feel pleased that he was here, in this spot, with someone he cared so much for. Perhaps he really was becoming Mr Darcy. 

Yeah. Right. 

He guided Betty to a large oak tree and sat down. She curled up in between his outstretched legs, as he held her tightly, wrapping his arms around her, willing her to feel his support. They gazed up into the stars and Jughead couldn’t stop himself from kissing her, again and again and again. He brought up her hands and kissed them too – willing the pain to go from them, and for them to heal over.

‘Please stop doing this?’ he whispers and she nods. 

‘I’ll try… I just had to…’

‘You don’t have to explain, if you don’t want to. I understand what it’s like to feel like you’ve run out of options, or you’re out of control.’

She nods. She knows he does. 

The sit there for some time longer, her head resting against his chest, their hands entwined. He caresses her hands so softly, making sure to be careful around those angry looking scars. They’re almost dozing, yet so far from sleep. After a while, Jughead breaks the silence, his tone much lighter than before.

‘Hey Betts’

‘Mmmm?’

‘It occurs to me that there’s one very important conversation that we seem to have skipped entirely.’

‘What?’ She sits up a little, her brow furrowed. He chuckles and turns slightly so they’re facing one another.

‘Well. You see, people just started referring to me as your boyfriend, and you as my girlfriend. I don’t think we ever discussed that particular piece of business and it is imperative that we do.’

‘Juggie, is this your way of telling me that you’re not ready to label our relationship? Because that ship has sailed.’ She doesn’t look impressed.

‘I just don’t want to be your boyfriend because Veronica decided that that’s what I am’ 

Betty stares at him wide eyed and opens her mouth to interrupt but he continues. 

‘No no, it’s not what you think. Let me continue. I don’t want us to just be boyfriend and girlfriend because we kissed a couple of times and someone else decided it for us. In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t like doing what other people tell me to do. Veronica did kinda let me off the hook, but maybe I shouldn’t have been let off it quite so easily.’ 

He’s starting to fumble now, looking most unlike his normal cool self. ‘What I mean to say is…. Betty, I’d like to ask you officially, so you know that I really mean it and I’m not just some fly by night stud of a man’ She gives him a look. ‘Hey a man can dream right? Geez, this looks a lot easier in films. Betty Cooper, will you do me the indubitable honour of being my girlfriend.’

She laughs for a long time, and struggles to compose her face. ‘Yes, Jughead Jones. I will.’

‘Good. I’m glad. It’d have been pretty awkward if you’d been wearing that crown jumper and then turned me down.’ He leans over and kisses her, softly and gently. Just like the first time, after he’d climbed into her bedroom window. A moment of madness, perhaps, but it’d been worth it.

The sun was starting to peak out, which signalled that they really did both need to go home. It wasn’t worth thinking about Alice Cooper’s reaction should she go to Betty’s room and find it empty in the morning. They walked hand in hand throughout the silent neighbourhood. Its tranquillity in total opposition to the disastrous party they had left. 

Jughead held the ladder steady as Betty clambered into her room. 

‘Goodnight. Oh, and Juliet?’

‘Yes?’

‘I love you, you know’

‘I know.’


End file.
